The Dream That Mayu Played
by Zyke.riZe
Summary: When two characters hate each other and yet an invisible memory binds them. What exactly could that memory be? Murasakibara X OC R&R Please! Beginner here! Thank you very much for reading! *bows*


Hi hi! Thanks for reading this and spending your time to do so! I'm honoured to have readers =)

This, happened to sprout from my original 'Mayu no Basket' which was a one-shot. Go ahead and read it if you want to~ I started off badly haha…Now, I'm giving another chance to improve and I hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before the gates of hell. Just as her feet began to move, a certain quote appeared before her...freezing her at the spot.

'**The true art of memory is the art of attention.'**

To remember with full potential, you must pay full attention at the desired subject, hence the meaning.

What value does this quote hold for her, she wonders. She always believed in this saying for technical purposes but never did she figure out that it could also be utilized for other significant matters.

'The moment the door opens, you can't turn back.' The voice whispered.

She gave a pause of uncertainty before finally answering back, "To gain something of a certain value, you must lose something of the same value."

That is the rule of the world.

Therefore, take my hand. For I shall bring you back to the world you love so much.

'Do you like spring?'

Under the blossoming cherry blossom tree laid a girl who thought a sparrow was talking to her. To be exact, chirping.

"No…" she replied back. Soon she was left in question whether the sparrow had actually listened to her reply or if it could even speak in a humanly language at all. She shrugged in the end, briefly shutting her eyes to block off the sunlight from reaching her sight receptors.

Ah, the days of spring have arrived in Japan. Spring carried great value because it meant the new beginnings and the start of a new cycle after a smothering cold winter that just passed. Yet there are also others who, as a matter of fact, do not enjoy the coming of spring and this student happened to be one of them through the enrolment as a 1st year student in Yousen High.

The girl sighed in frustration, combing her short jet black hair with her rough fingers. A new start in Yousen meant a new life in Akita after moving from Aomori, a next door prefecture. Aomori was such a pleasant place for her; the seas, lakes, apples…She missed all of that every day of her stay here. For her, living in a new place was like being born again. Unfamiliar places, the Akita-dialect (which is very hard to understand) and strangers make up for the emptiness she had to endure. The raven knew nothing about Akita similar to how a baby knew nothing about anything.

A short rustle was then heard, but the lass assumed the strong wind simply blew, shaking the trees fervently. It didn't once occur to her head that someone might walk up and rebuke her for having lunch in the school's roof garden where restrictions were made that this area is restricted during lunch hours. Odd thing is, there was no concrete reason for this regulation so she overlooked it, coming every day for invigorating fresh air and quietude.

'Why don't you like spring?'

She almost mouthed her answer when she closed it again, blinking repeatedly at the sparrow atop. Within a flash she sprang up from her resting position to a standing stance where her scarlet orbs scrutinized her surroundings. A humanly presence was felt. Yet nothing can be seen. Nothing; excluding the raven's shadow casted on the ground, sakura trees and scattered petals all over the floor.

"I want you." The voice whispered.

Chills ran up her spines the moment she heard the mysterious voice with no body.

"Who's there?" she asked. She kept vigilant but couldn't resist the fear creeping slowly, taunting her senses.

"I want you." The voice repeated itself again before continuing, "Yukijou Mayu"

Immobilized at the mention of the name, the girl didn't expect a shadow behind her, with its shinai ready to strike her down.

…

The birds fled the scene abruptly without reason.

"Hell has merely started." The voice murmured.

* * *

"A new manager?" the basketball team questioned in unison while staring at a blank looking female student who seemed clearly unenthusiastic about holding such a position.

Araki-sensei cleared her throat and nodded.

"This is Yukijou Mayu. I'd like every single one of you to treat her well, or else…" the words hung hazardously in the air arousing the crucial need of the team to agree, like it or not, with the proposal.

Yukijou Mayu held her gaze up to meet each of their faces only to be greeted with hesitation and distrust. 'Can we rely on her?', 'She doesn't look like she has potential', 'I doubt she will do anything for this team'.

'You think I can't hear you.' The ill-fated reluctant girl could only purse her lips into a straight line. Yousen High is one of the best high school basketball teams in Japan, which clearly is a logical fact due to their unbeatable defence. Conclusion is - to lead a group of towering goliaths summons heavy responsibilities namely to win and to only win. That is but the one goal every basketball team wants.

Mayu almost felt like walking out of the task when a strange beaconing started to stir within her. As if pushing her to accept the task willingly and accomplish a thriving achievement for the team.

**'I believe in you, Mayu. I believe that you can accomplish anything you want. I know, because I'm always right.'**

She gave them a confident gaze and bowed lowly in respect. "I am Yukijou Mayu of Class 1-2. Pleased to meet you. I am in the honour of torturing each of you." adding a smirk to increase the sincerity of her words.

Her introduction gained instant response from all of the team members. "Heck, that sounds like the devil in disguise!" exclaimed one of the frightened first year players. 'Gasai Yuno...' murmured another. Himuro Tatsuya merely smiled in response. "Why, it is the devil indeed", in English.

* * *

"I don't understand" said Mayu to Araki-sensei inside the staff room after the practice.

"Understand what?" the teacher coldly replied, her hands busy sorting out the paper work on her desk.

"Why you…chose me out of many other potential candidates?"

Araki-sensei responded with a snort. The coach continued adjusting the stack of papers in an orderly manner and tied them tightly together with a rubber band before laying the stack carefully on the desk before glancing back at Yukijou.

"How do you define 'potential'?" asked the coach, stressing the word 'potential'. Mayu frowned at the random question but before she could answer anything, Araki answered her own inquiry.

"Potential is when you can teach primary children to properly play basketball. You teach at the residential park don't you? I see you there every evening teaching those kids to proper shooting skills with easy-to-understand instructions. I believe teaching kids is the fundamental basics to teaching those ignorant highschoolers."

Now it was Mayu's turn to snort. "Because of that reason, you pointed a shinai at my face and forced me to follow you to the Principal's office for misconduct when in reality you pushed me into a gymnasium, locking me there until curricular activities starts. Plus you also threatened to expel me from school if I didn't accept your invitation to become the team's manager"

The woman chuckled shortly before answering "That's the only way I had to recruit you. Otherwise, you would have never accepted my proposal. People like you won't do anything that utilizes their skills unless you force them too." She shoved the stack of paper she laid on the table into Mayu's hands. "That's the team's profile. I need you to make practice manuals for every player. Have a good time ahead." She patted the raven's shoulder and walked out of the staff room to go home.

Mayu wanted to call out to the coach for guidance but unfortunately she left too soon. The stack, she observed, was quite thick. As thick as 2 manga's together if you measured it. Her eyes then fixated themselves upon the profile of Murasakibara Atsushi at the front page.

'Oh', she thought aloud. 'Purple hair.'

* * *

After school ended, Himuro and Murasakibara walked home together since their houses were located in the same residential area. A chilly spring breeze blew against their bodies, earning a grateful hum from the Mirage Shooter while he revels in the chirps of the songbirds that descended from the mountains in a duet with the crooning sound of the zephyr forming a euphonious melody. All that except for his lowerclassman's annoying munches of potato chips in his mouth. Ahead of them was a glorious display of the evening sky adorned with orange and yellow hues blended together in harmony with the setting sun casting its last rays for the day.

"It's a lovely sky isn't it, Atsushi?" he spoke, breaking the silence between them.

"Mmhp." The purple head nodded, paying more attention to the taste of the potato chips.

Tatsuya shook his head while grinning. "Are you sure you know what I'm talking about?" Tatsuya glanced at the giant eating his chips like a hungry robot. If robots ever felt hungry before, that is.

The question took a while to register inside Atsushi's head before he came up the answer saying, "You were talking about?" showing the Mirage Shooter a blank face.

Tatsuya sighed. He got used to this behaviour so much it didn't really matter much to him. His thinking and actions are too predictable, the peep-a-boo haired player thought and he actually found it quite humorous sometimes. Just then his hand phone rang loudly, abruptly stopping him in his tracks. A message came in, from Alex.

'Tatsuya, I'll be staying for a few days in your house. It seems Kagami kicked me out for an unknown reason'

'It's most probably due to you sleeping without…' Himuro didn't feel like continuing the sentence in his mind and kept his phone back in his pockets, parting ways with his teammate with reasons of 'welcoming a guest from America'. Murasakibara nodded again and bade his senior goodbye, watching him disappear after turning right at the corner of the junction. The purple-head continued his walk before he realized his own fingers were in his mouth instead of the chips.

"Ara? There's no more chips…" he looked around and saw a convenience shop. Lady Luck was in his side. The dull, sleepy eyes were now replaced with sparkles as he charged straight into the shop and grabbed one of the baskets. The cashier who was yawning at the counter felt his jaw dropped even more when he saw such a tall, very tall student inside the shop. Murasakibara got used to all this gawking and gasp whenever he went out to the streets or enter buildings. He didn't care anyway since it all started at the young age of 11. All he cared for was...his love for junk food.

'Chips, chips, chips' repeated itself melodiously in his mind as he searched every corner of the shop to find his personal favourite. His eyes finally rested upon the shelves where his favourite chips laid, calling out to him. He grabbed a few of them and placed them into the basket carefully so that they won't be broken into small pieces. When he was about to turn to the cashier, a familiar voice halted his tracks.

"Carbonated drinks, carbonated drinks, carbonated drinks…" the voice murmured at the Beverages Section. He peeked out from the shelves only to find his new manager squatting on the floor placing a dozen cans of Coca-Cola from the freezer into her shopping basket. At that exact moment she spun and caught him in the crime of staring at her. The raven and the purple-head exchanged glances at each other before she stood up with her basket, walking towards him.

"You're…Murasakibara something right, from the basketball team?" the raven asked the towering giant in front of her.

He frowned at the not-really-intimidated-of-your-height student below him. "It's Murasakibara Atsushi." He corrected. "You must be the new manager. Well, we don't need managers for our team. We can do just fine by ourselves and Masako-chin." He commented before opening a bag of chips that wasn't even paid for yet.

Irritated by his insult thrown at her, Yukijou felt like strangling him instead she shrugged and brushed against him as she headed towards the cashier. After paying for the drinks, she took a short glance back at the giant behind her before exiting the shop.

Had she not seen it, Atsushi's eyes narrowed at her before she vanished from sight. "I don't like her" were the words that escaped his mouth, taking in the chips at the same time until the frightened shopkeeper called out to him to pay for the bill first.

Meanwhile, Mayu walked down the streets successfully keeping her cool after the aforementioned incident. Her first impression of him was already ruined before she even encountered him at the shop since she went through his basketball records earlier. Record stated that he was a former Generation of Miracles centre, gifted basketball player and double ace alongside Himuro Tatsuya for the team. Sadly, the record also stated that he had no passion for basketball, gives up easily, and is lazy to attend practices. The raven grunted in disapproval, "Are all geniuses like this?" she asks aloud. "Though I think I might have seen him before…"

She thought again about the name 'Murasakibara Atsushi' but she remembered no such name in her memories.

'Yuki-chin! Yuki-chin!' was the only words she recalled but she brushed it aside and decided to concentrate more at the road ahead.

'Yuki-chin...How could you do this to me?'

She stopped on her tracks.

* * *

Is it okay? Please don't forget to R&R if there's anything or you could PM me! I really need guidance since I'm just a beginner…OTL Thank you for reading so far! Loves~!


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